Air conditioner



Nov. 24,1936. M BELD 2,061,646

AIR CONDI TIONER Filed March 27, 1955 INVENTOR.

NEUA M; 511m ATTORNEY.

reamed use it, rose l f 2 4 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,061,646

I CONDITIONER, Neeta M. Belden, Wichita,.Kans. Application March. 27, 1935, Serial No. 13,263

1 Claim. (Cl. 261--92) The invention herein disclosed has reference a motor driven fan in working relation thereto.

to an air conditioner and has for its chief object The invention as hereinafter described, as to humldifyand control the temperature of the shown in the drawing and pointed out in the air while passing therethrough, the current reclaim consists of a rotor comprising a peripheral quired may be produced mechanically or by naturim i, having inwardly extending flanges 2 on 5 ml draft. I l each side thereof, the said flanges being L shaped A further object ofmy invention is to, provide in cross section, one leg snugly engaging on the a rotatable device for distribution of'water in outer side of the rim as shown at A, by which such a way that the same will be evaporated by means the said rim is braced and capable of sup- 10 the current of air passing therethrough, humidiporting a plurality of apertured dippers, later de- 10 fying the air and means to announce the exscribed. The said rim is supported by a plurality haust of the water supply in which the device is of radially positioned spokes 4, the inner ends partially submerged in its rotation for distribuof which are secured to a hub 5 through which tion of the fluid therein, preparatory for evaporaa spindle 6 extends and on which the said rotor tion, by which means the air within a room may is trunnioned with an approved make of ball or 15 be properly conditioned; furthermore the disroller bearings, but not shown in the drawing. tribution of disinfectant or other medicinal prop- The said spindle is integral with a standard I, erties may be dispensed thereby. that is vertically positioned by bending the same A still further object'of my invention is to proat right angles to the spindle. The lower end vide a device rotatably arranged in working relaof the standard is secured to a plate 8 having on 20 tion to a fluid receptacle so that the periphery of its upper edge a returned bent portion as at B, the device,being partially submerged, will conforming a hook to engage over the upper rim vey the fluid in the receptacle for distribution of afluid receptacle 9 by which means the rotor upon a series of woven screen secured to each is'supported sothat the said rotor will be par- 5 side of the device and especially to a screen intially submerged in the fluid and free to rotate termedially positionedwith respect to the sides, therein. for the purpose later described, furthermore the The end of the spindleopposite the right angle device provides for air cooling and modifying bend has an annulargroove spaced from the end means that is accurate in its operation and inthereof to receive a split washer I0, frictionally 0 expensive to construct and adaptable to a wide secured to retain the rotor'on the spindle, by range of service.- I v l which arrangement the rotor is easily removed These and other objects will hereinafter be when the said washer is withdrawn from the more fully explained, referencebeing had to the groove.

accompanying drawing forming a part of this Secured to each side of the rotor is a woven specification and in which like characters will screen Ii, said screens being centrally apertvred 5 apply to'like parts in the different views. to fit snugly on their respective edge of the hub,

Referring to the drawing: while the outer ends of each has a bend inward Fig. 1 is a plan view of the device, parts re,- as at C, forming a peripheral flange that is posimoved for convenience of illustration. tioned between the. outside of the said rim and 40 Fig. 2 is a side view'of. the device. leg of flange 2, adjacent thereto as shown in Figs. 40

Fig. 3 is an end view of Fig. 2, partly in sec- 3, 5 and '7. l tion. Secured to the outside of each of the said Fig.4 contains two views of an enlarged detail screen elements is a disk 12, each disk beingaperof a peripheral portion of the rotor showing one tured to flt snugly and spaced at short distance 45. of the dippers in section taken on line 4-4 in from the respective end of the hub, one end of Fig. 5the. other view of the clippers being in elewhich has a cap l3, removably arranged and vation. functioning as sealing means for its respective Fig. 5 is acrossv section taken on line 5- -5, end of the spindle." The other end of the said Fig. 4. spindle has a washer l4 rigidly secured and i Fig. 6 is a similar view to Fig. 4; except showspaced from the end adjacent thereto, and be- 50 ing a modification of the fluid dispensing means tween which is placed the end of an apertured to, the intermediate screen. arm l5 rockable on the spindle.

Fig. "I is a cross sectional view taken on line Secured to the outer end of the said arm is a 'L-l in Fig. 6. float i6 functioning as a brake for the rotor when Fig. 8 is a reduced end view of the device and the fluid is practically consumed from the recep- 56 tacle, in which case the downward rock of the float will wedge between its adjacent side of the rotor and a rib ll arranged on plate 8, the said rib obliquely extending from each side of the vertical axis of the plate as shown in Fig. 2, by which arrangement the float may be turned toward either end of the receptacle for the purpose of an efiicient brake for the rotor turning in either direction.

As an efficient means for distribution and evaporation of fluid carried by the rotor as it revolves, I have placed a series of screen elements l8 diagonally positioned-from one edge of one of the said spokes to the opposite edge of an adjacent spoke and so on between all of the spokes. The inner edge portions of each of the said screened elements snugly engage on the hub, while the outer edge thereof, as at D, is segmental and in parallelism to the said rim and spaced therefrom as shown in Figs. 2 to 4 inclusive.

Secured to the rim between the spokes is a dipper element 19, having a V shaped mouth as shown in Figs. 5 and 7 and converging rearward to where it joins the rim and being apertured as at E along the apex line to avoid an excess load of the fluid as the dipper rises therefrom; as carried by the rotor in the direction of the arrow shown in Figs. 1 and 4, there is also arranged a tongue F extending from the apex of the mouth by bending the same inward a short distance radially, with respect to the rotor and from thence outward and into the dippers, following in parallelism with the apex line a short distance, each side of the looped portion being closed to form a pocket 20, said pocket having a slot 2|, therein to engage on the segmental edge of its adjacent screen element l8, as bracing means at the central portion thereof, and also dispensing the fluid carried by the dipper through the medium of the said dipper, and the apertures E being small and so positioned will dispense fluid slowly or cause the same to flow along the exterior in contact with the screen as the said dippers approach the horizontal plane, when the rotor is operated by a motor driven fan or other source of air current, the dippers I 9 will be rotated slowly thereby, successively dipping the same into the fluid, the rotation being in the direction of the arrow. Each of the dippers elevates from the receptacle a quantity of fluid, dispensing the same upon the spokes and screening therebetween through the medium of the apertures and the end portion of the spokes as they rise above a horizontal plane, at which time, by reason of the tangential position of the apices of the dippers, the fluid is inclined toward the mouth thereof, slowly dispensing the remainder of the fluid as they approach a vertical plane of the axis on which the rotor is trunnioned.

The outer end of the spokes at each edge is cut away for a short distance as at G, for a lessor resistance while passing through the fluid, the

remaining edge portions have a slight turn to the I rising side as at H, forming a trough like structure as guiding means for fluid to thehub, as the said spokes in consecutive order move upward .too andpast a horizontal plane, the fluid-thus accumulated is free to enter the side screens.

I am aware that the bulk of the fluid so gathered 'will discharge by reason of the downward angle of the spoke, but a suflicient amount of the fluid will remain by capillarity and will drain in the other direction as each spoke rises above the horizontal plane, which is controlled by the rotor. I am also aware that a marginal portion of the dipperssecu'recl to said outside screening is submerged, and will carry the fluid by capillarity and as the top of the rotor is approached, the fluid is free to pass downward by gravity. Consequently by the last two methods described for distribution of the fluid, it is intended that the entire area of all of the screen elements be moistened preparatory for evaporation when a current of air is forced through the screens by mechanical or natural means, and what is meant by mechanical means will be through the medium of a motor driven fan positioned approximately as shown in Fig. 8; and if by natural draft, the rotor may be placed in an open window or the like as an inlet vent for a room, by which means the air is made humid, and disinfectant, perfume or the like may be introduced.

To cause rotation of the rotor by a current of air in parallelism or ranging direct with the axis on which the rotor turns, the said dippers spaced around the inside of the rim will function as impellers owing to the slant of the sides thereof, as positioned and for which reasons the perforations E, were placed along the apex so that the air current impinging the smooth sides will be interrupted, and furthermore, the size and number of the said dippers will restrict against high velocity, as the said rotor must turn slowly and the same effect is obtained when the motor driven fan is employed. The turned edges of the spokes will also function as impellers coacting with the dippers, and at all times the rotation is in the same direction until the rotor is removed and reversed on its spindle, in which case rotation will be in the opposite direction. For this reason, the said float is made rockable, functioning at either side to brake against rotation when the fluid is practically exhausted, and, refilling of the container is required to continue the desired function of the mechanism.

I have found by actual experience that current produced by a rotary fan is more or less spiral in its path, ,and for such reason, the velocity of the rotation of the rotor is increased which may not be desirable. To overcome such velocity, the said rotor is reversed on its spindle reducing the angular contact of air current upon the impellers as produced by the fan.

Such other modifications may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claim. Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:-

In an air conditioner of the class described, comprising a rotor having a hub, spokes and rim, also a woven wire screen for each'side of the rotor, an intermediate series of screens, one of each positioned between the spokes in consecutive order, the outer peripheral edge of the screens beingspaced from the inside of the rim,

the inside of the trally positioned to the spokes, a cup at the mouth of each dipper, the cup having a slot to receive the edge of the said intermediate screens respectively, each spoke having a marginal portion, each edge thereof bent obliquely to the same side of the spoke forming a trough, said spoke to function as an impeller to turn the rotor, when placed in the path of a current of air, a spindle receivable by the hub and means to retain the same therein, the spindle having a right angle bend where it leaves the hub, functioning as a standard, a plate to which the standard is secured and having a transverse to the standard functioning as a hook, the plate having a rib rim and cen-' return bend on its edge oppositely extending from 75 the hook, there being one rib obliquely extending from each side of the longitudinal center of the plate, a container for fluid, the said container having four walls, the rims of which are in straight alignment from corner to corner, the

said plate being adapted to seat against the inside of one of the walls and supported thereto by its return bend engaging on the adjacent rim or the wall, by which means the rotor is remov- 10 ably supported and positioned in working relation & NEH-TA M. BELDEN. 

